


To Catch a Thief (You Must Steal Her Heart)

by Snugglebuttkitten



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Ladybug, F/M, Flirtatious Marinette, Guardian!Luka Couffaine, Hot Mess Luka Couffaine, Jealous Chat Noir/Adrien Agreste, Lovesquare but its BETTER, Not Canon Compliant, Orphaned Marinette, Secret Identities, Thief!Chat Noir, Thief!Multimouse, lukanette endgame, self-indulgent writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:26:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28162380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: Luka Couffaine is mad. More than that, he's absolutely livid! For years, he had traveled the world in search of the missing Miraculouses that had been scattered across the world nearly a century prior to his birth. As the future Leader of the Order of the Guardians, it was he, who was tasked with finding and returning each Miracle Gem to it's rightful place. And he was so close to completing that task, too! But when Luka returns to Paris, he finds that the last two Miracle Gems are in use. That, in and of itself, isn't unusual. The unusual part is how many times the pair have thwarted his attempts to steal them back! Determined to complete his task, no matter what it takes, Luka dons the scales of his old friend, Sass, and sets about with his goal to divide and conquer.Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been in the game her whole life. Her aunt and uncle were thieves, and so were her cousins. Finding the Miracle Gems and meeting Chat Noir only made the game ten times more easy, and a thousand times more boring. But when a new player steps up to the plate, suddenly things get a lot more interesting.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	To Catch a Thief (You Must Steal Her Heart)

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Nerdypanda for this COMPLETELY self-indulgent Vipermouse/Multipython fic
> 
> Please note: I do not like being pestered for updates. I update my stories based purely on muse and time. If I disappear for months it is because life got in the way. I am an adult with a job, responsibilities, and pets (2 cats and a service dog in training) and sometimes I just can't make time to write. So please keep that in mind and be patient. Saying you can't wait for the next update is one thing but please don't just outright ask me to update, or when i plan to do so because I probably have no clue.

**_Three months ago_ **

“So, how big did we score?”

Multimouse let out a breathless laugh as she hopped up to perch upon the short cement wall that encircled the rooftop they were on. It was a cold night, cold enough that their breath came out in white puffs each time they exhaled, but they barely noticed. The special suits they wore kept them well insulated and the exertion from the job they had just finished meant their cheeks were flushed with warmth. It had been a good night. The rare gemstone exhibit they had just infiltrated at Le Grand Paris had been the perfect playground to test out Multimouse’s abilities, and the patrons had been none the wiser of the two thieves in their midst. The only problem was, it had been easy. Too easy, in fact. And it wasn’t because it had been a set up, although that had happened in the past. A detective had put trackers on several of the items she and Chat had targeted and only instinct had prompted Multimouse to check the items before stashing them with the rest of their stolen goods of the week. They had managed to destroy the trackers and stash the stolen goods without further incident but that had been almost too close for comfort. No, this time it had been too easy because of their new abilities.

When she had found her Miracle Gem a year ago, Multimouse had been thrilled. At the time she thought it was just a cute little trinket that had been mixed up with a bunch of priceless jewels that she was  _ liberating _ from some pompous ass who had insulted her earlier that day. Technically, the stash belonged to the jerk’s very rich parents but she made sure they knew that he was the reason they were being targeted. She had figured maybe the item, a simple silver disk with five mice etched into the surface, set on a rather blank chain, had sentimental value. She almost returned that item because it didn’t appear to have much worth as far as money went and as an orphan who had nothing to remember her birth parents from, she would have been loath to take that away from anyone. Even someone related to a misogynistic asshat who seemed to think women were placed on the earth solely for his perverse pleasure. But when she had touched the gem, wishing to inspect it closer, the necklace had started to glow and suddenly a giant, floating mouse was before her, looking just as confused as she had been.

It was only a week or so later that she met Chat Noir, while she was out testing the extent of her new abilities and they eventually teamed up and started stealing together. And it was great. With a partner that she could trust and rely on (because her own extended family weren’t above stealing from each other and therefore mostly worked solo jobs), Multimouse had been able to plan bigger and more challenging heists that she might not have dared to attempt doing alone. The problem lay in the fact that stealing was no longer challenging. She used to live for the thrill of breaking into houses, cracking safes, and evading the cops by the skin of her teeth. Being Multimouse had kind of sucked all the fun out of the job and now it was becoming more of a chore than anything else.

“At least a billion dollars worth of gems, maybe two. I’ll need to have them evaluated to determine the payout,” Multimouse said, pulling the large sack off her back. It was huge and cumbersome, but with her super strength she barely even noticed the weight. Setting the bag down, she rifled through it and pulled out a beautiful uncut ruby. If she had to guess, she would say it was probably about twenty carats, sparkling a beautiful burgundy color in the light of the full moon. It would fetch a pretty penny on the black market. It was almost a shame she couldn’t keep it for herself and have something pretty fashioned out of it. A pair of earrings, perhaps. But alas, this gem had been highly televised and in her civilian life, she was nothing more than a lowly intern at Gabriel Fashion. If she showed up with a pair of authentic ruby earrings, heads would turn and questions she didn’t want answered would be asked. No, better to take the money and store it away in one of her offshore accounts for a rainy day.

“Mee-yow,” Chat Noir let out a low whistle as he came to sit next to her on the wall, close enough that their thighs pressed together. She didn’t push him away, though she also didn’t acknowledge his closeness either. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Chat Noir yet. Sure, they were friends and she enjoyed his company. Plus, the man was insanely attractive. Grass green eyes, fair skin, a lean, muscular physique and shaggy blonde hair that was forever falling into his eyes. Add that, to the fact that he was covered head to toe in delicious black leather and he was like something straight from any healthy, red blooded, heterosexual woman’s kinkiest wet dream. A real life version of Adonis himself. He was also kind. A bit flirtatious for her tastes, and in desperate need of a better sense of humor (preferably one that didn’t involve cat puns; or any puns for that matter), but he was kind and pretty harmless as far as she was concerned.

“It was a good day. We could probably stand to take a break to be completely honest,” she said with a sigh, rolling her head back to look up at the sky. They were on the outskirts of Paris, near one of their many drop zones, and this far out she could see a few stars dotting the night sky. It was a rare sight in a place known as the City of Light. Chat Noir looked at her and even though she kept her gaze on the sky, she could feel the surprise radiating off of him.

“A break? But we’ve been doing so well! We can’t stop now,” he insisted eagerly, leaning into her space in a way that normally would have resulted in her fist becoming very close friends with his ribs, or his spleen, or his nose. She wasn’t usually picky about where she hit him when he did that, so long as it hurt, but she was too tired to muster up even an ounce of annoyance tonight.

“Haven’t you ever heard of the saying: Quit while you’re ahead?” She pointed out dryly, arching one eyebrow at him. Char scoffed and straightened up, thankfully moving out of her space in the process. She had spent much of her childhood alone, never making close friendships because her aunt and uncle viewed relationships of any kind outside the family to be a distraction and a liability; a threat to their unusual way of life.

“So what if we’re caught, M. Whose strong enough to actually do anything about it? The police certainly aren’t strong enough to bring us in,” he insisted with an amused snort. “Just think, another year of this and you and I, we’ll be set for life. We could run away, start a whole new life away from our families. A life  _ together _ ,” he implored. He was watching her again. She could feel those puppy dog eyes of his burning into the side of her face but she refused to turn his way and allow him to weaken her resolve. She loved Chat, she really and truly did. But did she love him the way he wanted to be loved? Or in a completely different way? That would forever be the billion dollar question.

“Chat, I-” She began, but quickly cut herself off as her heightened hearing picked up the almost imperceptible sound of a boot scraping against cement. Rising to her feet, she loosened the jump rope that was wound around her waist like a tail, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously. “Who's there?”

“M, there’s no one-” Chat stopped talking and rose to his feet as well, a low hiss escaping him as a figure stepped out from behind a chimney stack and into the moonlight. He was tall. Really tall. That was the first thing Multimouse noticed. He looked a bit older than her, a bit more muscular than Chat Noir, and his hair was jet black with teal tips. That wasn’t the most startling thing about him, though. The most startling thing about him was that he was like them. He had to have a Miraculous. The skintight, scaled bodysuit in varying shades of teal and seafoam blue, the mask, the yellow eyes and slitted pupils. He had a Miracle Gem. Chat Noir let out a low snarl, shifting to position himself in front of her and dropping into a defensive crouch.

“Who the hell are you?” He growled, flexing his claws dangerously. It made Multimouse nervous. She and Chat had sparred countless times but neither had ever gone up against another Miraculous holder in real battle before. 

“Viperion. I’m the Guardian of the Miracle Box. Who are  _ you _ ?” The man responded. He looked cool and collected standing there, his eyes on her even as he responded to Chat’s question. It was clear he knew who called the shots around here. His words gave her pause. Guardian? Miracle Box? Was he saying there were more gems? She wondered what types of animals and powers they possessed, could feel that familiar itch under her skin whenever she found something that she wanted more than life itself.

“I’m-” Chat began, but Multimouse cut him off.

“Leaving. You’re  _ leaving. _ ” She said firmly, stepping around him to stand between him and the newcomer. Viperion, was it? Interesting name. It reminded her of her favorite pokemon, Emporium. 

“What? I’m not leaving you here with him!” Chat squawked in protest, but she barely spared him a glance as she responded. Her eyes were completely focused on the stranger before her.

“Yes, you are. Take the bag. Go, now. I’ll keep our friend occupied,” she said with a smile. Chat looked like he wanted to argue but a hard look cast in his direction had him grabbing the bag up and taking off, bounding across the rooftops with practiced ease. Viperion made to start after him, but Multimouse slid between him and the path Chat had taken with an easy smile. “Ah ah ah. Not so fast. You have to get through me first, Snake.”

“This isn’t a game. You don’t realize the kind of power you hold in your hands. The Miracle Gems are dangerous and they need to be returned to the bos,” Viperion said, glaring at her. Multimouse smirked, a familiar thrill beginning to race through her veins. This, this excitement, was what she had been missing for the last year of her life. This fear of the unknown, the threat of being caught. Finally, it was back in full force and she was living for it.

“Everything is a game if you try hard enough,” she purred, swinging the end of her jump rope in a lazy circle as she watched him calculatingly.

“I don’t want to hurt you,  _ petit souris _ . But I will if I have to,” he warned, yellow eyes darkening. Multimouse’s breath hitched in excitement, even as fear ran down her spine and curled in her stomach, her muscles twitching with the instinctive need to flee.

“You’ll have to catch me first,  _ Snake _ ,” she challenged. Viperion’s eyes turned to flint and with a hiss, he lunged towards her. Chat was likely long gone by now, so Multimouse folded in on herself and dropped, rolling deftly out of the way before popping back to her feet in the spot Viperion had just vacated. He turned, scowling in annoyance and she winked. Blowing him a kiss before throwing her jump rope up and calling upon her power. “Multitude!”

Viperion lunged again but she was already shrinking long before he reached her, a dozen or so tiny Multimouses replacing the original one. The Multimouse clones scattered, spilling off the rooftop and disappearing into nooks and crannies, down storm drains and through broken windows. Within seconds, only one tiny copy remained, standing before the fallen snake hero’s nose with a cheeky grin. He scowled at her as she smiled sweetly down at him.

“Better luck next time, Snake,” she teased, mock saluting him before scampering off as well. Only when she was miles away from where she had left him on the roof did she allow her copies to merge once more. Dropping her transformation after she was certain no one was watching, the girl now standing in Multimouse’s place held out her hands to catch the exhausted Mouse Kwami and frowned down at him.

“Marinette? What’s wrong?” The Kwami asked, concern coloring his tone as he accepted the small, cheesy danish his owner offered him.

“Mullo… I need you to tell me everything you know about the Miracle Gems and the Guardian of the Miracle Box.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments! I love hearing your feedback and ideas


End file.
